Tag: Dominick Reyes

Dominick Reyes Cites What He Thinks Prevented Jon Jones Rematch

Dominick Reyes is done dwelling on the scorecards from his fight with Jon Jones, but he still can’t help feeling like a potential rematch slipped away. The former UFC title challenger hasn’t fought since May 2021, but he spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour and is hopeful of a return to action later…

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Dominick Reyes is done dwelling on the scorecards from his fight with Jon Jones, but he still can’t help feeling like a potential rematch slipped away.

The former UFC title challenger hasn’t fought since May 2021, but he spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour and is hopeful of a return to action later this year.

After discussing the recent light heavyweight title fight between Glover Teixieria and Ji?í Procházka, Helwani couldn’t help but bring up Reyes’ fight with Jones that was contested shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That whole pandemic, man,” Reyes answered when asked how it affected his career. “That thing fucking – ‘scuse my language, I’m sorry man – that whole pandemic really, really put a wrench in my whole momentum man. Bad, really bad. Like I was doing meet-and-greets, and going to the fights, and enjoying it and all of a sudden, it’s all over. Boom, nothing. Man, how does that suck?”

“The Devastator” joined the UFC in 2017 and extended his undefeated record to 11-0 before earning a shot at Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title at UFC 247. Jones retained the title via unanimous decision, though many felt that Reyes had done enough to win the fight.

When Helwani asked if there had been discussions about a rematch, the 32-year-old explained that all parties had initially seemed on board for a second fight.

Many felt that Dominick Reyes should have left UFC 247 as light heavyweight champion. (Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)

“Oh yeah, that was the whole thing. The whole thing was, ‘We’re gonna run it back.’ Then it was like the pandemic started, then I don’t know what [Jones] started doing at home, he started feeling a different kind of way. Then all of a sudden it was, ‘Nah I’m going to heavyweight, screw that. There’s too much risk, I don’t get paid enough to fight him. I’m not gonna fight him again without double, you gotta pay me double to fight that guy again.’

“And it was like, what? I was getting contender money bro, screw you. I should be getting pay-per-view’s next fight. And it was weird how it all happened because [Jones] was down, everything was good. Dana was like, ‘All right, we’re gonna do it.’ And then all of a sudden, nope. Nah, I’m gonna go to heavyweight.”

After the rematch with Jones fell through, Reyes met Jan Blachowicz in a fight for the interim light heavyweight belt at UFC 253. Reyes was knocked out in the second round, and in his next fight he was stopped by recently crowned light heavyweight champion Ji?í Procházka.

What do you think of Reyes’ comments that the pandemic contributed to a rematch with Jones falling through?

Continue Reading Dominick Reyes Cites What He Thinks Prevented Jon Jones Rematch at MMA News.

De Castro Believes Jones Will Run Through Miocic After Training Together

Former UFC heavyweight Yorgan De Castro doesn’t believe Jon Jones will face many problems when the former light heavyweight champion finally makes the jump to a new weight class. “The Mad Titan” recently appeared on the MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca ahead of his Eagle FC main event slot opposite Junior dos Santos on May…

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Former UFC heavyweight Yorgan De Castro doesn’t believe Jon Jones will face many problems when the former light heavyweight champion finally makes the jump to a new weight class.

“The Mad Titan” recently appeared on the MMA Fighting podcast Trocação Franca ahead of his Eagle FC main event slot opposite Junior dos Santos on May 20. When asked how he feels “Bones” will fare as a heavyweight, De Castro identified Jones’s well-rounded skillset as a challenge for other fighters in the weight class.

“It would have to be someone with good ground game, like Fabricio Werdum, to maybe give him some problem on the ground. I don’t see anyone else at heavyweight with good enough wrestling or ground game. And if they have good wrestling, Jones will be superior on the feet.”

Jones hopes to face former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in September for his heavyweight debut. De Castro offered a blunt assessment of how he feels that particular fight would go.

“I think Jones will run through Stipe.”

Yorgan De Castro (left) with Jon Jones (center)

“I think [Jones} will take him down and win by TKO. He’s been waiting two years for this. He’s walking around at 255 pounds but is so strong. And cardio will be the key. He has so much cardio. He hits pads for two hours and doesn’t slow down.”

Inactive for over two years now, Jones hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. The 34-year old former champion has repeatedly teased a move up to heavyweight in his time away from the cage, but so far nothing has been officially booked by the UFC.

Yorgan De Castro successfully debuted in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC last January when he finished Shaun Asher with a guillotine choke just over a minute into the fight. The Contender Series 2019 contract winner went 1-3 in the UFC from 2019-2021 but is now on a two-fight win streak heading into his Eagle FC 47 main event fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos.

What do you think about Yorgan De Castro’s comments on how Jon Jones would do against Stipe Micoc?

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Sean Strickland Trash Talks Dominick Reyes During Sparring

Sean StricklandAhead of his Octagon return at UFC Vegas 46 this weekend, streaking #7 ranked contender Sean Strickland continued sparring, quite heavily against former two-time light heavyweight title challenger, Dominick Reyes before this weekend’s clash with Jack Hermansson. Strickland, who is in the midst of an impressive five-fight winning spree, most recently bested Uriah Hall with […]

Sean Strickland

Ahead of his Octagon return at UFC Vegas 46 this weekend, streaking #7 ranked contender Sean Strickland continued sparring, quite heavily against former two-time light heavyweight title challenger, Dominick Reyes before this weekend’s clash with Jack Hermansson.

Strickland, who is in the midst of an impressive five-fight winning spree, most recently bested Uriah Hall with a unanimous decision win in his first headlining bout under the promotion’s banner back at UFC Vegas 33 back in July.

Sean Strickland will feature in his second headliner against Jack Hermansson this weekend at UFC Vegas 46

The outspoken North Carolina native was slated to return against former middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold at UFC 268 back in November at Madison Square Garden, until a herniated disc injury forced the former middleweight titleholder from proceedings. 

Set to return to the Octagon this weekend against former Cage Warriors champion and tricky grappler, Hermansson, footage emerged detailing a sparring session between Sean Strickland and former two-time light heavyweight title challenger, Dominick Reyes – with the two sporting four-ounce gloves as the vocal Strickland continually trash talks the Hesperia native. 

During exchanges, Sean Strickland praises Reyes’ striking before telling the Californian to stop laughing, telling him, “I’m here to hurt you” and that “You’re here to play”. 

Strickland then blocks a shot from Reyes before telling him “I’m trying to f*cking put you down.” Eating a right-hand counter soon thereafter, Strickland exclaims, “Here we f*cking go.” 

Back in October 2020, Strickland landed his second consecutive victory of his current streak in a unanimous decision win over Wales native, Jack Marshman, repeatedly urging him to throw in the final minute of the three round fight, and asking him “why won’t you fall, Jack?” Following the klaxon and upon waiting on the official result, Strickland then asked, “Jack, why is your head made of steel?”

Amongst his Octagon victories, the Xtreme Couture trainee has bested the likes of Krzysztof Jotko, Brendan Allen, Nordine Taleb, Court McGee, and Alex Garcia to name a few.

Dominick Reyes Fires Shot At Jon Jones After His UFC 270 Comments

dominick reyesNot often do we get to see UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes talking smack away from the octagon but when we do, it’s usually directed at Jon Jones. Reyes and Jones have a longstanding history with one another dating back to their fight at UFC 247 in February of 2020. Jones won a close […]

dominick reyes

Not often do we get to see UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes talking smack away from the octagon but when we do, it’s usually directed at Jon Jones.

Reyes and Jones have a longstanding history with one another dating back to their fight at UFC 247 in February of 2020. Jones won a close battle via a unanimous decision to retain the title, a decision that was met with backlash from MMA fans across the globe.

Since the bout, the feud between the two has only amplified with Reyes never shying away from offering his opinion on Jones’ numerous transgressions. Most recently, he expressed a tone of sympathy towards the former light heavyweight champion’s current situation. 

On an Instagram post from ESPN MMA highlighting Jones’ remarks on the recent heavyweight title unification bout, Reyes chimed in by saying “Poor guy. At the end of the day, he’s home alone in the basement writing mean messages. Get better bro,” 

Given the relationship between the two, it is safe to assume that Reyes’s comment was served with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Dominick Reyes Victory Was Jon Jones’ Most Recent Appearance

What’s important to remember here is that Jones has not stepped foot into the octagon since the two went toe-to-toe. After the controversial win, there were reports that a rematch was in the works but Jones announced shortly after that he would be vacating the title.

With Jones teasing a move up to heavyweight for over a year now, it looks less and less likely that we will ever see these two settle their score inside the cage.

Reyes, on the other hand, is taking some time to recover as he has not won since defeating Chris Weidman in 2019. Still sitting at #7 in the rankings, he’s lost three straight dating back to the Jones fight, falling to Jan Blachowicz for the title then losing via vicious knockout to Jiri Prochazka.

Do you think Dominick Reyes was taking a shot at Jones or does he really feel bad for him?

Dominick Reyes Fires A Shot At Jon Jones After UFC 270 Comments

Dominick Reyes took a shot at former champion Jon Jones on social media.

It has been a while since Dominick Reyes has made any noise. Reyes is one of the more quiet fighters on the UFC roster. He doesn’t engage in a lot of trash-talking, but when …

Dominick Reyes, Jon Jones

Dominick Reyes took a shot at former champion Jon Jones on social media.

It has been a while since Dominick Reyes has made any noise. Reyes is one of the more quiet fighters on the UFC roster. He doesn’t engage in a lot of trash-talking, but when he does, it is usually pointed at Jon Jones.

Reyes and Jones have a history together. They fought back in Feb. of 2020 when Jones defeated him via a narrow split decision. Since then, Reyes has occasionally been commenting on Jones’ behavior. He did so recently again on a post made by ESPN.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZEBhTBLDtB/

“Poor guy. At the end of the day, he’s home alone in the basement writing mean messages. Get better bro,” Reyes commented on a picture of Jones saying he would defeat both Ngannou and Gane following UFC 270.

Jones has not fought in the UFC since his bout against Reyes. Since then he has relinquished his light heavyweight title and made the decision to move to heavyweight. Jones then was involved with some negotiation disputes with the UFC and some legal trouble as well.

He has not set a date for his UFC heavyweight debut but has been increasingly present on social media calling out Ngannou. Most recently, Jones criticized the performances of Ngannou and Gane at UFC 270, which is what prompted these posts from Reyes.

When Reyes was questioned by another commenter about his remarks, he responded.

“Just pointing out literal facts,” he wrote (via Sportskeeda). “We all had a great time at the fights and homeboy is tweeting mean stuff before the belts wrapped around the winner… Don’t get it twisted, I do truly want to see him get better. I wish harm on no man.”

Reyes has been unsuccessful in his last three UFC outings. He lost his title shot against Jones, then another title shot against Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title. Most recently he was defeated by title challenger Jiri Procházka. Reyes does not currently have a fight lined up at this time. He is still sitting in the #7 spot in the rankings. With a few wins, he could be right back at the top challenging for the title again.

Do you think Dominick Reyes was right in his comments towards Jon Jones?

Continue Reading Dominick Reyes Fires A Shot At Jon Jones After UFC 270 Comments at MMA News.

Reyes Says He Knocked Procházka Out Fully In May Bout

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes says he knocked Ji?í Procházka out cold in their main event bout at UFC Vegas 25. Having gone 12-0 in his career, a record which included UFC wins over Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir, and Chris Weidman, Reyes fell to his first career defeat in a controversial decision […]

Continue Reading Reyes Says He Knocked Procházka Out Fully In May Bout at MMA News.

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes says he knocked Ji?í Procházka out cold in their main event bout at UFC Vegas 25.

Having gone 12-0 in his career, a record which included UFC wins over Jared Cannonier, Volkan Oezdemir, and Chris Weidman, Reyes fell to his first career defeat in a controversial decision loss against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

After “Bones” relinquished the belt to pursue a move to heavyweight, most expected “The Devastator” to have the vacant 205-pound gold wrapped around his waist when he faced Jan Blachowicz at UFC 253. Instead, Reyes was finished in the second round, succumbing him to a two-fight losing skid.

After over seven months away from the cage, Reyes hoped to return to title contention with an impressive performance against relative newcomer Procházka. Despite putting on a Fight of the Year contender alongside the Czech powerhouse, it was “Denisa” who had his hand raised via knockout.

While he may have secured a remarkable spinning back elbow KO, many in the MMA community pointed out that Procházka appeared to be hurt by a Reyes upkick prior to the fight-ending sequence.

During an interview with Combat Sports on Fanatics View, Reyes suggested that the #2-ranked light heavyweight was completely unconscious following the kick. The 31-year-old said Procházka’s dead weight prevented him from taking advantage of the quick KO.

“Yeah, I upkicked him really hard, and he went out fully. And I knew he was out, but I couldn’t move properly because of the way he fell on me. It made it so I couldn’t advance position or take advantage of it. But hey, man, the guy’s fuckin’ a beast. He did his thing. For me to fight guys like Ji?i is everything, man. I’m trying to fight the best guys in the world and guys that are good human beings, that are down with the cause. He’s a samurai, man. He’s got the warrior spirit all the way around. And I got nothing but respect for the guy.”

Speaking about the entire fight, Reyes suggested he knew the matchup would be an exciting back-and-forth affair when the pair stood face-to-face ahead of the headlining bout.

“It’s one of those things where we looked at each other in the pre-fight face-off, and I knew it was gonna be a great fight, man. I was looking him in the eyes, and we’re just standing there looking at each other, and I’m like, yeah, this is gonna be freakin’ awesome, man. We’re not gonna quit. I knew I (wasn’t) gonna quit. Looking in his eyes, I knew he’s not ever gonna quit. And I was like, ‘Hell yeah,  this is gonna be a good fight.’ That’s what I’m looking for, man,, those guys that are willing to die for it.”

Despite only making two appearances inside the Octagon, brutal KO victories over Oezdemir and Reyes have ascended Procházka to just one spot behind top contender Glover Teixeira. The Brazilian veteran is in fine form and will challenge for the title in the UFC 267 main event later this month.

While the likes of Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Raki? have pushed for a booking with the Czech star, Procházka has made his intentions clear. He’ll serve as the backup fighter for Blachowicz’s second title defense on October 30, and anticipates a championship fight against the victor in 2022.

Do you think Ji?í Procházka should face the winner of Blachowicz vs. Teixeira for the light heavyweight gold?

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